Tew and the Odd One Out
by PencilGirl92
Summary: A new pokemon is discovered but not without some trouble. As usual, the heroes are forced into a dangerous situation, but there are also a few other odd things, including a boy who hates pokemon, which will cause some friction with Ash.


I'm going to make an attempt to make this opening like the Pokemon movies…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The world of pokemon…

_Many pokemon inhabit the sea, the land, the air, and even underground…_

_They are adored by people everywhere…_

_Unfortunately, some may give a not-so-good first impression…_

_._

"Daddy, when is this pokemon supposed to appear?" a small boy leaned against a tree as he looked up at the sky.

"It _will_ appear. I know it will!" the young researcher with the thick-rimmed glasses was pacing.

"Now, now, dear, you must calm down," the young woman, who cared for pokemon with all her heart picked up her two-year-old daughter, who laughed happily.

"Daddy, look!" the six-year-old boy pointed to the sky.

Sure enough, something was coming toward them, but it was only a shadow in the night. One feature, however, could be seen on it: the scarlet-red eye. Just then, a huge shockwave-type power radiated from the creature, and the visitors were blown back. The young girl was separated from her mother's arms.

"No! Kimberly!" the mother called.

The small boy went to her. "I've got you, little sister…" he whispered to the crying baby.

"Take cover! That pokemon is out of control!" the researcher called.

The small boy continued to clutch his little sister as they looked up at the shadowy figure. "Get away… get back…" The eye narrowed and a red beam shot from it.

"Kyle! Look out!"

Kyle pushed his sister away and closed his eyes, preparing for the hit.

.-.-.

-.-.-

.-.-.

In the middle of their journey, our heroes come across a brightly-lit city. This city is home to many Pokemon Fans and therefore has been called PokeFan City. Already, the heroes know that they will love this place…

"Ash! Look!" May called. She read from a poster, "'Pokemon Competition: Tournament and Contest… All pokemon trainers welcome to enter their pokemon to battle to the finish in our 120th monthly Ultimate Pokemon Competition, and all pokemon coordinators welcome to show off their pokemon in our 9th annual Ultimate Pokemon Contest.' This place is awesome!"

"Wow, May!" Ash smiled. "I've never seen you so excited about a stop before!"

"That means we should stay here for as long as possible!" May hinted.

"Alright, fine. Besides, any battle is good enough for us, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"This is a nice place to stay awhile outside our adventures," Max stated.

"It'll be good to take a rest from our normal travels," Brock determined.

"Who said anything about resting?" Ash took out his pokeballs. "Let's go guys! Time to get training!" He was about to throw them.

"Slow down, Ash! We hardly set foot in this place!"

"Heh, heh… So, where's the pokemon center?"

.-.-.

It didn't take long for the four of them to get lost. "Where are we now, Brock?" Max asked.

"Uh…" he hesitated.

"How hard can it be to find a Pokemon Center?" May panicked.

"Don't worry."

"Why don't we ask for directions?"

"We're in an alley… who do you expect to find?"

"There…" Ash pointed. A boy was leaning against the wall of one of the buildings down the alley. "Excuse me!"

"Hm?" the boy looked up, showing his cobalt eyes. He had on a dark blue knit hat that covered part of his forehead and some of his straight black hair. He also wore a black t-shirt with a dark blue vest over it. He wore black fingerless gloves and blue jeans covering black sneakers. He wore no backpack or pokegear.

"Do you know the way to the Pokemon Center?"

"Yes."

"Could you… point the way?"

"That way." The boy pointed. He was emotionless, not seeming very energetic even.

"Thanks." They went in the direction the boy noted. When they left the alley and were far enough away, Ash asked, "Did you guys think there was something… weird about that boy?"

"He did seem kind of…" May tried to find the right word.

"Weird?"

"Well, I mean… he wasn't really into giving us directions. It's not that he was rude… he just wasn't friendly either, you know?"

"Yeah."

"It doesn't matter, Ash… let's just go."

.-.-.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Health and Spa Zone!" a small girl greeted. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a pink hair tie and she wore a pink t-shirt with a white apron that had PHSZ sewn on the front. She had sky blue eyes that sparkled kindly. Her denim skirt reached her knees, and she wore white socks and pink shoes. "How can I help you?"

"Pokemon Health and Spa Zone? I've never seen anything like this place!" May declared.

The girl smiled. "My mother takes pride in her services here. Be sure to check out everything!"

"Alright! Is this also where we can sign up for the competitions?" Ash asked anxiously.

"Sure is! Right at that front desk there, you can talk to my mom!"

"Thanks!"

"Pika!" Pikachu revealed himself.

The girl stepped back slightly in fear. "Uh… uh… yeah, go ahead…" She left them.

"Pika?"

"Was she afraid of you, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"That's not the first time we've met someone who was afraid of pokemon… I wonder what happened to her…" May wondered aloud.

"Yeah…"

The four of them went to the desk to sign up for the contest and competition. "Brock, you should sign up too!"

"Um… I don't know…" he hesitated.

"I wish I could sign up!" Max complained.

"Why don't you hang out with Munchlax and find something to do?" May asked.

"Yeah, yeah…" He left the center with May's Munchlax.

.-.-.

There was a lab right across from the Pokemon Health and Spa Zone. Excited, Max ran inside. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he looked around at the huge place.

"Can I help you?" a researcher asked him. He had thick-rimmed glasses framing light blue eyes. His dark hair was a mess.

"This place is awesome! What kinds of things are you researching here about pokemon?"

"Well…" He scratched his head. "Too many things to count, to tell you the truth. But let me show you what I've been working on by myself. If you like pokemon and mysteries, you'll love this…"

.-.-.

"Well, Pikachu, ready to find a worthy opponent?" Ash, May, and Brock exited the PHSZ.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered.

"Let's go!"

"You don't have to go far, Ash," Brock pointed. "Look."

A few other kids were training by battling each other. Ash went over to introduce himself. "Hey!" he greeted. "I'm Ash… are you guys training for the competition?"

"Sure are!" a red-head, tall boy answered excitedly. "You too?"

"Yeah… I just got here and saw the poster."

"Nice! My name's Luke. You want to battle?" His dark brown eyes shone with excitement.

"Yeah! Let's go for it!"

Ash used Pikachu, of course, and Luke revealed his pokemon, Sableye. "Your Pikachu looks strong, Ash."

"Wow! A Sableye! Ghost pokemon, huh?" Ash took out his pokedex to learn more.

The pokedex told him, "Sableye, the dark and ghost type pokemon. It hides in the darkness of caves and eats gems, resulting in its gemstone eyes."

"Nice. Alright… ready, Pikachu?"

The battle began. Pikachu started off with a Thunderbolt, but Sableye blocked with Protect. Then Sableye moved in with Shadow Claw. Pikachu countered with Iron Tail. Their power was equal, causing them both to fly back a bit. Then, Pikachu used quick attack to get there fast enough to use another Iron Tail. Sableye was hit but got up easily and used Faint Attack.

"They seem to be matching blow for blow," Brock stated.

"Yeah," May looked on. "Hey… I wonder where Max went."

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"If you're sure…"

.-.-.

"I know all about Mew," Max declared proudly. "It's the rarest pokemon in the world. It's said that it contains the DNA of all the pokemon in the world and that it can change into any one of them to disguise itself."

"You know very much," the researcher agreed, "but what I'm about to show you is beyond anyone's imagination."

"What?"

"Behold… the brother of Mew!"

There on the computer screen was a 3-D image of a blue pokemon much like Mew. The difference was that its 'tail' was actually on its head. Its eyes were closed and there was a small crest between and a little above them.

"The brother of Mew?" Max looked on in amazement.

"I call it… Tew," the researcher said. "Because it's like a second Mew, but Mewtwo already exists."

"Wow! Where did you see this pokemon?"

"It was long ago that I saw it. Shortly after I did, I began researching. Then, I went out to find it again. Unfortunately—"

"Tell our whole life story, why don't you?" a boy had entered.

"Son…"

"What are you doing? This kid isn't even from around here!" The boy was none other than the one who gave Max and the others directions earlier.

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't go disclosing personal matters, father."

"Son, don't you have anything better to do than hang around here?"

"Hmph. No, not at all."

"Go watch some pokemon battles. Maybe you'll finally get interested in them." The boy just glared at his father and left in a huff. Max looked at the researcher. "I'm terribly sorry about him. He's always been… odd."

.-.-.

Pikachu and Sableye were both exhausted when Max ran to tell the others what he had learned. "May! Brock! Ash! Guess what I found out!" he called.

"Max! There you are!" May went to hug him.

"I'm fine, May… get off!"

"Sorry…" She let go. "Where were you?"

"At the lab."

"The lab?"

Meanwhile, Ash and Luke had called their battle a tie until the competition. "What did you find out?" Ash asked.

"There's this… brother… of Mew! The researcher said he saw it and actually studied it! But apparently, something went wrong the last time he went out to find it…"

"What went wrong?"

"I don't know. That guy that gave us directions earlier interrupted him. It was his son."

"The boy that gave the directions?" May wondered.

"Hey!" one of the trainers called to the others. "Look who it is!" The same boy was coming toward the PHSZ.

"Wow, we're seeing a lot of him today…" Max stated.

Three of the trainers blocked the door to the PHSZ. The boy, silent as ever, tried to push his way through, but they pushed right back, knocking him on his back.

"Hey! What was that for?" May spoke up.

"Normal stuff," one of the trainers shrugged it off. "He doesn't belong in there. He doesn't even belong in this city!"

"Yeah," another chimed in. "He hates pokemon and everything to do with them!"

"What?" Ash became defensive. "How could you?"

"Shut it!" he stood. "I'm going in."

"They're right. What do you have to do in a place like that?"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder, ready to defend pokemon.

"Watch it, rat!" the boy glared at him.

"What did you just call him?" Ash advanced on the boy.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" one of the trainers demanded.

"Leave me alone, and maybe I will!" the boy retorted. "Go waste your lives training for that stupid competition!"

"That's it!" Ash sprang at him, crashing with him to the ground. The other trainers pretty much cheered him on, but May, Max, and Brock tried to tell him to get off. Soon, an officer rode by and tore them apart.

"There will be none of that!" he commanded. "This is a warning, since I can tell you're new around here. No more of that!" He sped off on his bike.

Ash dusted himself off as the strange boy went into the building. "What's with that guy?"

May went right in Ash's face and started to yell at him, "How could you treat him like that?"

"You heard what he called Pikachu!"

"You started it, you hothead!"

"Guys, stop fighting," Brock tried to stop them. "This really isn't worth it. Why don't you guys train? May, you should work on some of your contest moves. Ash, why don't you train Pikachu to be able to fight Sableye?"

"Fine…" Ash mumbled.

"Alright…" May murmured herself.

The two of them went separate ways, May going into the PHSZ.

She stepped in hesitantly. She saw the boy talking to the girl in the apron from before. They seemed to be having a civil conversation. She cautiously went over to them. She walked slowly until the girl noticed her. "Can I help you?" she asked.

When the boy turned, he recognized her immediately and was about to leave. "Wait," May tried. "Please… I… I want to apologize for Ash. He has a… short fuse… when it comes to pokemon."

"Doesn't everyone in this city?" the boy crossed his arms and scowled.

"To tell the truth… I didn't like pokemon that much either. And… my dad was a gym leader… so it was a bit weird for me."

"My father is a researcher, my mother owns this place."

"Wow, tough. Well, I learned to love them—"

"Don't start. You'll never know what kind of things I've been through. There are reasons I hate pokemon so much."

"The same reasons why I fear them…" the young girl added. "We've been through a lot, my brother and I."

May nodded. "I understand. And I don't resent you for your opinions. I don't think that it's fair how they're treating you." He looked at her in shock. The young girl smiled. May began to leave but turned back. "My name is May, by the way."

The girl nodded. "I'm Kimmie."

The boy stated, "My name is Kyle."

.-.-.

"Ash, I've never seen you so angry," Brock was saying as he and Ash went to find a clear place to train. "You need to control your temper."

"He called Pikachu a rat!" Ash argued.

"Well, it is a mouse-pokemon…"

"Yeah, _mouse_! Not rat!"

"Still, May was right. You went against him first. You don't even know him yet."

"He hates pokemon."

"So?"

"Brock, you of all people should take offense to that!"

"People have their own opinions."

"But they're right… he doesn't belong in a city like this!"

"Ash!" Max ran to them. "That researcher from the lab has agreed to see everyone to tell us about Tew!"

"Wow! We've got to go!"

"Where's my sister?"

"Come to think of it…" Brock started, "I didn't see where she went off to. I followed you, Ash."

"Well, let's find her then."

"Yeah," Ash said half-heartedly.

.-.-.

May, though still upset with Ash, agreed to go to the lab to find out about Tew. The researcher greeted them all as they came into his private office lab. The five of them sat down as the researcher began his explanation.

"As I was telling Max," he stated, "I call this pokemon Tew. My research has proved that it is much like Mew, so I concluded that it was like a brother." He clicked a few buttons on the computer and brought up the image. "Tew is a blue cat-like creature that seems to look exactly like Mew, except his tail is replaced by that antennae-like thing on its head." He clicked another button and brought a photo up. Tew was somewhat turned around, but his left eye was showing. Tew had a beautiful crimson eye that sparkled in the light of the day that the photo was taken. "Isn't he a beauty? Unfortunately, when I went out with my family to find the creature again, it didn't give a good impression…"

"What happened?" Ash questioned.

"It attacked us. But there was something different about it." He brought the 3-D image back up. "Do you see that crest on its forehead? It's actually an eye as red as its other eyes. But it always remained closed. However, when we went searching for him, that eye was open, and the others were closed. The pokemon was out of control, and I know it had something to do with that eye."

"Wow, what do you think happened?" May asked.

"My theory is that someone forced the eye open, but I can't be sure."

"Who would do that?"

"That is why I cannot be sure. That eye being opened caused him to become chaotic! I've never seen a pokemon behave like that before."

"And your son and daughter were there… causing them to be affected for life."

The researcher nodded solemnly. "My son held a grudge to all pokemon, while my daughter is too frightened to even approach one. It's a shame that my children will never share the same joys that my wife and I have with pokemon. They suffered more tragically, you see."

"How so?" Brock wondered.

"My son, he was hit head-on with an attack from Tew. It scarred him… physically and emotionally."

"That's terrible!" May exclaimed. "Yet you still search for this creature?"

"I've been searching for it for seven years, I am not about to stop now just because of some accident six years ago!" May was shocked. She looked down sadly and sighed. The researcher noticed this and continued, "It's my dream."

May nodded but stood and left. Ash followed her angrily. "You can't seriously expect him to give up just because of one little problem!" he shouted when they were both outside.

"I don't, Ash!" she yelled back. "I just maybe expected a little more… I don't know!" She sat on a bench. "That boy was hurt! And now he still is because of his different opinion that is because of that experience!"

"I didn't follow that…" Ash scratched his head. "But still, you can't expect one little thing to mess up a life-long dream! I should know! And you should, too! Why don't you go train for the competition?"

"Why don't you if you're so obsessed with it!"

"Guys!" Brock ran out. "Stop! Don't start this again!"

"Beautifly come on! Let's train…" May walked off with her pokemon.

"Yeah! Go ahead!" Ash called after her.

"What was that all about?" Max reached them.

Ash went off to train with Pikachu, and Brock and Max were left standing there. "I think coming here was a bad idea…" Brock sighed.

.-.-.

"I can't believe him!" May groaned. "He is such a jerk!"

"I'm sure you don't mean that…" a voice said.

"Oh, I do!" May jerked up. "Wait, who said that?"

"It was me!" Kimmie smiled at her.

"Oh, Kimmie! Where's your brother?"

"I don't know… I never know where he is!" she giggled. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, just my friend… he's being a jerk… he does that a lot."

Kimmie giggled again. "Aw, I'm sure he's not that bad."

"No… I guess not. But sometimes he just… argh! Anyway… I, um, kinda heard about what happened six years ago from your dad." Kimmie suddenly turned serious, and her eyes were immediately downcast. "It's nothing to be ashamed about. It actually explains a lot."

"My brother doesn't like people knowing about that…"

"Why? Wouldn't they understand him and maybe be nicer?"

"He doesn't care. He thinks people should be nice to him anyway."

"Not that I'm taking sides, but your brother can get kind of offensive."

"Only against those who already show they have a problem with him. And it's just for not liking pokemon… It's not fair!"

"You're right. It isn't. But people care about stuff like that… especially in a city of pokemon fans."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For my brother. I love him. I mean… he _is_ my brother… but…"

"No apology needed. I don't blame him. I really don't."

They sat in silence for awhile. Then, Kimmie spoke. "Hey, are you entering the competition?"

"Yeah, I'm going to enter the contest part with my Beautifly, here."

Kimmie looked at the bug. She smiled nervously. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

.-.-.

Brock and Max were taking a walk while May and Ash practiced. "So what's going on?" Max asked.

"Your sister and Ash are fighting, that's all," Brock shrugged.

"You made it sound like a big deal before."

"It'll blow over. It always does."

"If you say so."

"Yeah! Toss it here, Joe!" a voice cheered.

"What's going on?"

They ran up to an alley that had a wooden fence at one end. Brock and Max saw Luke and three other kids tossing a blue knit hat around. A boy with dark hair was in the middle, and both Brock and Max immediately recognized that it was Kyle. "You are so juvenile!" Kyle roared. "Give it back!"

"But you look so much better with it off!" the kid that tossed the hat to Luke said.

Kyle turned to face Luke, and that's when Brock and Max saw the damage from those six years ago. Across Kyle's forehead, where his knit hat would normally cover, there was a terrible scar from a burn. It was frighteningly obvious that something terrible had happened to him, and it was surprisingly clear even though it happened so long ago. "Give it here!" Max and Brock were too shocked to move or speak. The researcher's story proved true. The trainers in the alley laughed, dropped the hat, and climbed over the wooden fence. Kyle picked it up and dusted it off. He knelt on the ground and sighed. "Someday… you'll see why… pokemon are nothing but trouble…"

.-.-.

The sun had set and now the stars were the only things visible in the night sky. May looked up at them and smiled. "You did well today, Beautifly. The contest is the day after tomorrow, so we have one more day to perfect our routine!"

"Beautifly!" her pokemon exclaimed happily.

"Hey, May!" Max ran to her. "Can I help you practice tomorrow?"

"Sure, Max!" May smiled. "You can command Munchlax and get me ready for the battles!"

"Sounds great!"

Meanwhile, Brock was lying in the bottom of the bunk bed as Ash climbed up to the top. "You training some more tomorrow, Ash?" he asked.

"Sure am!" Ash slid under the covers.

"I'll help out."

"Thanks, Brock."

"No problem."

At least May and Ash didn't have to fight tomorrow. Both Max and Brock have gotten a way to keep them apart… for now.

.-.-.

Ash woke bright and early and nearly jumped from the top bunk to wake Brock. The two of them hurried to a field outside the city. Ash called out Pikachu and Brock brought out Forretress.

"Are you ready, Ash?" Brock called.

"Sure am!" Ash pounded the air. "Let's go for it!"

"Alright! Forretress, Rapid Spin, let's go!"

Forretress obeyed, but Ash returned with an Iron Tail. They were evenly matched, and both pokemon landed unhurt. Next, Pikachu used Thunder, which Forretress avoided with another Rapid Spin and hit Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Max and Munchlax had just used tackle against Beautifly, who easily flew up to dodge and used Silver Wind. Munchlax was blown backwards, and May cheered.

"Don't celebrate yet!" Max called. "Metronome, Munchlax!"

Munchlax concentrated then released a Thunderbolt. It hit Beautifly critically.

Meanwhile, Pikachu had recovered and was now using Quick Attack to get to Forretress. When he got close enough, he used Thunderbolt. Forretress flew back, but wasn't down yet, he returned with Tackle, then Spikes. Pikachu dodged Spikes and used another Iron Tail. Then, he finished with Thunder. Brock nodded. "Well done, Ash," he said.

May, meanwhile, cheered Beautifly on to use Gust. It blew Munchlax away, and May finished off with a Silver Wind. "I think you're ready!" Max declared.

"Yeah, it's time for a long rest, Beautifly," she sighed. "Good job." Beautifly returned to her pokeball. "Well, Max. I'm going to go treat Beautifly to a spa."

"Have fun!"

May left. She walked down the street to the PHSZ, where she went inside. She gave her pokeball to the spa lady and sat in the waiting room. "I wish I could be treated to a spa, too!" she said to herself.

"Sorry, only pokemon!" Kimmie took a seat next to her. She wasn't wearing her apron today.

"Hey, Kimmie, what are you doing here?"

"Keeping cool. It was pretty hot out this morning."

"Yeah, it was." They both sighed.

"My brother was asking about you, you know."

"Really? Why?"

"He wanted to see you again. You know, since you were the only one who actually was social to him."

"Yeah, I could see him again." May smiled, and to her embarrassment, blushed a little.

"'Kay, let's go." They headed out of the center and into the alley beside it. "This is actually another nice cool spot!" She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Kyle!" she called out. "Where are you, bro?"

"I'm here," Kyle stepped out of the shadows, pulling down his knit hat just before May could see the scar. He stopped short. "May?"

"Yep. I was training for the contest and needed a break. So I came down to treat my pokemon to the spa."

"Yeah, my mom provides good service." He seemed proud for a second, but then mumbled, "Too bad she can't provide service to humans, who are actually important to this world."

May bit her lip. "So, I'm new to this city and all… why don't you two show me around?"

"Sounds great!" Kimmie grabbed May's hand. "Can we show her our favorite hang-out spot, bro?"

Kyle gave a half-smile. "Yeah, go ahead," he said.

"You're coming too!" Kimmie pretty much commanded.

"Uh… okay."

.-.-.

The three of them came to a small park in the middle of the city. It was blocked off with a wire fence and occupied by trees and a small pond with flowers by it.

May gasped, "This place is beautiful!"

"It's the city park," Kyle sat on a small stone bench and closed his eyes. "The quietest place in the city."

"There aren't any pokemon here either," Kimmie added.

"Wow, it's so peaceful!" May took a seat on another bench and closed her eyes as well. "I could sit here all day."

"We often do." Kimmie lied down in the grass.

"It gives us a moment to forget everything, and just… be." Kyle said, taking a deep breath.

May opened her eyes and looked at the two of them. She bit her lip again. _If only Ash and those other trainers could see them now_, she thought. _So at peace with their surroundings._ May glanced around at the landscape._ The world is beautiful…even without pokemon._ She sighed. _I never took the time to just stop and look before._ She closed her eyes again and breathed slowly, taking it all in.

.-.-.

"Man!" Ash sat down in his bed. "I'm counting down the minutes!"

"Well," Max stated, "You still have 1387 minutes and 52 seconds."

Ash looked at him, "I didn't mean it literally."

Max laughed. "Sorry, but I'm counting them down, too! I can't wait to see the biggest pokemon fan city's pokemon competition!"

"I know! It's gonna be so awesome!" He jumped down. "We have to train some more!"

"I'm sure your enthusiasm is great and all, but don't your pokemon need a break?"

"Oh, yeah… I guess you're right." Ash chuckled nervously. "Maybe I'll let Pikachu get a spa treatment!"

"Uh… actually…" Max stammered. "Do you think Pikachu would like it?"

"Why not?"

"Isn't it kinda more of a …um girl thing?"

"Aw, any pokemon likes it! Come on Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder.

"Oh, dear…" Max sighed as Ash left.

.-.-.

At the PHSZ, May had just taken Beautifly back. "Did you enjoy that?" she asked.

"Beautifly!" Beautifly nodded.

"You can come back in your pokeball." She returned Beautifly.

Just then, Ash came in. "A spa's just the thing to relieve all your stress for the upcoming battle, Pikachu!"

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu agreed.

May and Ash literally then ran into each other. "Hey, May! Watch it!"

"Why don't you watch it, Ash?" May put her hands on her hips.

Pikachu looked at them and sighed.

"Oh, yeah? Well, we're trying to get ready for our competition tomorrow!"

"Yeah? And you don't think we had the same thing in mind!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu tried to stop their fight.

"Quit causing a scene and go do whatever!"

"Yeah, we sure know that you can use some more work on your contest moves!" Ash retorted.

"Excuse me? And what about you?"

"What did you just say?"

"Pika!" Pikachu was desperate and used Thunderbolt on them both.

"Pikachu!" May cried. She stormed out of the center.

"Hmph!" Ash crossed his arms. "Let's go."

Pikachu sighed but went with Ash.

May ran out of the center and collapsed on a bench in an alleyway. She put her face in her hands and started to cry uncontrollably. Soon, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sniffling, she glanced up and met Kyle's eyes. She quickly wiped her eyes on her gloves and gave a final sniff. "Come on," Kyle offered his hand. "I know a good place to go."

Just as May suspected, they found themselves back at the park. Both of them lied down on the grass and looked up at the clouds. "He's not so bad, you know…" May started suddenly.

"Who?"

"Ash."

Kyle was silent.

"It's just… he lives his life for pokemon, and I guess… well…"

"He's just like the others. He hates me because I hate those… _things_. What's the difference? Would someone hate another if they disliked… I don't know… flowers?"

"I know… it's not really fair…" May sighed. "He can get really defensive."

"Forget it." Kyle closed his eyes.

May looked over at him, then back at the sky, which was now turning an orangey-red. "It's getting late… and I'm in the pokemon contest tomorrow."

Kyle opened his eyes and sat up. "Alright."

"Are you watching the competition?"

"No… I never do."

"Does Kimmie?"

"Yes, but only because she doesn't want to be stuck alone. The entire city goes to the stadium to watch it… every business closes… It's a big event here."

"So what do you do?"

"Enjoy the quiet."

May smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

.-.-.

Everyone indeed came to the stadium that morning. May and Ash were anxiously waiting in the trainer lounge while Brock and Max took their seats in the audience. The lights were bright inside the dome, shining upon the master of ceremonies, who came out in a bright red tux. "Hello, ladies and gentleman!" he shouted into the microphone. "I am your MC, Michael! Are you ready for some pokemon action?" Cheers erupted from the crowd. "I said, are you ready for some pokemon action?" Louder cheers and applause came up. "Then, folks, you've come to the right place! Get ready for our 120nd monthly pokemon competition and 9th annual pokemon contest all on the same day!" There were more cheers and applause. "First, we will have the first round of the competition, then the first round of the contest! Are you ready?" The crowd screamed their approval. "Then let's go! As you all should know, each competitor in both competition and contest may only use one pokemon! So, first up, we have last time's champion, hoping for his fifth medal, Luke!" Luke stepped out as the audience called out his name in a cheer. He revealed his Sableye, which also got some cheers. "Luke's opponent will be chosen randomly! Ready?"

"Do you think Ash will face off against him?" Max asked Brock.

"Well, it's a slim chance but definitely possible," Brock stated. "However, I think it would be better if Ash faced him later. It would be good to see his battling strategy. After all, he has a medal from the past five times."

"Duncan! Duncan has been chosen to take on our champion! How will he fare?"

Meanwhile, in the lounge, Ash sighed, relieved. "I'm ready to battle, but not that ready, Pikachu."

"Pika…" his pal agreed.

"Meanwhile, let's cheer Luke on!"

"Pika!"

Luke sent out his Sableye, as expected and the other boy sent out a Venusaur and a very powerful-looking one at that. Sableye was much quicker than Venusaur, though, and that made a huge difference. Still, they were quite a match. Sableye's Faint Attacks were what really knocked Venusaur around. A final Shadow Claw finished him off.

"Wow…" Ash marveled. "That was good…"

"Pika…" Pikachu nodded nervously.

After a few more trainers, Ash was up against a boy named Joe that Brock and Max recognized. Brock peered at him. "Is that the boy from the alley the other day?" he asked.

"Yeah," Max answered. "The same guy. What kind of pokemon do you think he'll use?"

"There's no way of knowing."

The brown-haired, green-eyed boy sent out a Growlithe. Pikachu came out for Ash. With that, the battle began. Growlithe started with a Bite right on Pikachu's tail, so Pikachu used Iron Tail and threw him off. Growlithe landed easily and sprung back up into a Flame Wheel. Pikachu was hit right on. Pikachu struggled to get up. Growlithe came back with another Flame Wheel. Pikachu used Thunder to counter. Growlithe dodged with Agility and came back with another Bite. Pikachu then used Quick Attack. They ran into each other hard and flew back.

"I hope Pikachu can withstand that," Brock stated.

"I'm sure he can," Max said.

He did, but Growlithe got up as well. Pikachu tried a Thunderbolt and Growlithe used Flamethrower. It met in the middle and exploded. Growlithe used it as a chance to come in for a Bite with another Agility. Pikachu used Thunderbolt right into the smoke, however and hit Growlithe out. The battle was over.

"Growlithe!" the boy returned his pokemon. "Great job, buddy." He looked to Ash. "Good battle, Ash!"

"Thanks, Joe!" Ash nodded.

"Good luck with the rest. I'll be cheering you on!"

"Well that went well," Brock noted.

"Yep, sure did!" Max smiled.

"Munch!" Munchlax agreed, stuffing a hotdog in its mouth.

The contest was next after that first round. First up was a girl named Chloe, who was apparently the champion from last year. She had bright pink curls and wore a yellow gown. She sent out a beautiful Ninetales whose white fur seemed to sparkle with red-orange lights. The audience ooh-ed and ahh-ed at her beauty. Chloe raise her white-gloved hand and called out, "Confuse Ray!" Ninetales obeyed. Dozens of sparkling violet star-like lights rose up. "Ember!" The stars were surrounded in flame and exploded into fireworks. The audience cheered. "Tail Whip!" All nine tails flipped around as Ninetales raised its back into the air, and then they circled in a wheel motion. Ninetales then used Confuse Ray to put violet lights at the edge of each tail. The tails spun faster, and from the stars came small beams of fire, resulting in a spiral of flames. It was quite a finish.

"That's quite a show to top," Brock stated.

"Yeah, do you think May can?" Max asked nervously.

"Well, this Chloe is the champion, but it's easier to move ahead in this round than in the battle rounds."

"Yeah. I just hope she doesn't have to go next. It will be hard to follow that act."

Meanwhile May was pacing nervously as Beautifly watched. She kept saying to herself, "Don't be nervous… I'll freak out Beautifly… Ugh… the more I'm saying this… the more freaked out I'm getting!" Beautifly sighed. "Snap out of it, May! It's not like you have to go next."

The loudspeaker blared, "Next up is May!"

May screamed, nearly blacking out. "What now?"

Beautifly sprung in front of her, "Beautifly!"

"Sorry, Beautifly… I don't know if I can do this anymore…"

Max and Brock stared at the stage. "Where is she?" Max whispered.

"She must have gotten nervous," Brock reasoned.

"Oh, no…"

Just then, May ran out on stage. "Ladies and gentleman," the MC called, "here's May!"

"Alright, Beautifly…" May whispered to her pokeball. "Sorry about that back there… I have to relax… we both do… So, are you ready, girl?" She raised the ball and threw it high. "Come on out!" Beautifly came out perfectly. She seemed to sparkle like diamonds. "Silver Wind!" Beautifly made a huge windstorm with sparkles all through. She also added Stun Spore, creating a red and silver jeweled tornado. It was beautiful. The audience loved it. May followed up, calling out, "Tackle!" Beautifly flew up into the middle of it, making the sparkles fly from the middle. The next move was Gust, which caught the sparkles in four separate wind spirals. Beautifly twirled around in the middle of it all. She used Stun Spore once again while spinning, adding to the jeweled winds. It was quite a sight.

"Ladies and gentleman, give May a hand!"

The crowd cheered loudly.

"I think that was pretty good for someone who was nervous," Brock complimented.

"Yeah," Max smiled and crossed his arms. "That's my sister for you."

May went back into the waiting lounge. She sighed as she collapsed on a couch. "Great Job, Beautifly!"

"Well, that was a great first round!" the MC exclaimed. "Are you folks ready for more?"

The crowd cheered. The audience was more than ready. Each round was more exciting than the next. The battles were intense and the pokemon contest rounds have gotten into their battle rounds. Before they knew it, they were at the finals. First, Ash was battling Luke.

"Are you ready for this, Ash?" Luke called. "I'll have you know, I've been training hard to finally beat you!"

"Same here, Luke!" Ash called back. "Pikachu's ready for your Sableye!"

"Then let's get going!"

"Alright!"

Sableye started with a Shadow Claw, which Pikachu dodged and countered with Iron Tail. Sableye dodged that attack, however, and used Psychic, a move that Luke hadn't revealed until now. Pikachu was taken aback and hit critically.

"Psychic?" Max nearly stood in shock.

"That was quite a surprise," Brock agreed. "Ash didn't see that coming at all."

"Come on, Pikachu! You can do this!" they both cheered.

Pikachu struggled to get to his feet but succeeded. He used Thunder, but Sableye dodged and used Faint Attack. Pikachu used Iron Tail to defend, causing Sableye to slide back a short distance. He then followed up with a Thunderbolt, which also hit. Sableye recovered quickly, however and used Shadow Claw. Pikachu was hit right in the stomach. Pikachu used Thunder again, which Sableye blocked with Protect. Sableye and Pikachu advanced on each other, Sableye using Shadow Claw and Pikachu using Iron Tail. They were a perfect match once again, immobilizing each other.

"Ash hasn't used Quick Attack once yet," Max noticed. "I mean, I know it will have no affect against Sableye, but it served him well to get a good running start sometimes."

"True," Brock nodded. "Maybe Ash made a new plan."

"I can't wait to watch it unfold!"

Pikachu jumped up and flipped, landing behind Sableye. Then he used Thunder, hitting Sableye perfectly. Sableye then used Faint Attack, and he hit Pikachu perfectly as well. Again, they were matching blow for blow. Pikachu then circled around Sableye with his Quick Attack. Sableye tried to lock in on its target, but he couldn't. Even the super-quick Sableye couldn't find Pikachu. Pikachu jumped up and used a final Thunderbolt, defeating Sableye. He landed, panting as Ash cheered.

Brock and Max stood and nearly screamed their cheers for Ash's victory.

"Wow," Luke marveled. "Return, Sableye. You were great. Thanks, buddy."

"That was an awesome battle, Luke," Ash approached him.

"Thanks, Ash. It was quite a battle on your part as well. I haven't been defeated for five months."

"Ha. Yeah."

"Pika!" Pikachu remarked himself.

"You were great, Pikachu. I've never seen a pokemon so strong!" Luke declared.

"Pika." Pikachu blushed and scratched the back of its head.

"Tell your friend, May, good luck for me, 'kay?"

"Sure," Ash nodded.

"Ladies and gentleman," the MC shouted, "we have a champion! Now we see the end of our contest portion. Then we will have the award ceremony!"

Ash came back into the waiting lounge and saw May there. She was sitting there, with her head in her hands. Ash hesitated, then sat next to her. "May…" he whispered. She jerked up. "I just… wanted to say good luck… Luke says good luck too."

"Thanks Ash," she smiled and stood.

"You'll do great!"

She tightened her fists. "Alright! Let's go, Beautifly!" She headed out.

"Now, May versus Chloe in the finals of the pokemon contest!" Michael blared. "Ready, girls? Go for it!" Chloe smiled sweetly and twirled as she sent out Ninetales, sparkly as ever. May bit her lip and sent out Beautifly. "Five minutes on the clock! Take it away!"

Chloe was the one to start with her usual Confuse Ray. Beautifly was immediately confused.

"Not a very good start," Brock said as he saw May's score go down.

"Beautifly! Snap out of it! Use Silver Wind!" May yelled out.

Beautifly was able to aim a straight shot of Silver Wind, but Ninetales countered with Ember, which made a beautiful array of fire. That lost some points for May. Ninetales used Ember again towards Beautifly. It was then that May froze. Luckily, Beautifly was able to dodge it on her own. She looked back at her trainer.

"May! Come on!" Max screamed.

"Well, Ninetales," Chloe gave her sweet smile again, "it looks like this is going to be as easy as I thought!"

May looked at her and clenched her fists. "Stun Spore!"

Beautifly obeyed. Ninetales dodged the spores, but some of them hovered above remaining flames of the Ember like hot air balloons. Chloe lost a few points for it.

"A great comeback!" MC Michael declared. "But will it be enough?"

Ninetales came at Beautifly with another Confuse Ray, but Beautifly blew her away with Gust, then followed up with Tackle. Soon, the points were tied up with two minutes left. Ninetales then used the move that Chloe had used on her other opponents to make a quick victory, Overheat. Beautifly spun through it with Silver Wind, creating a spiral of fire around it. She then used Stun Spore to add to the display. She finished with a Gust that dispersed all of it. Chloe's points decreased quickly after that. She was unable to come back before the time ran out. She stood there in shock as her own finishing move was backfired.

"And that's time! May is victorious!" The crowd cheered. "Now for the awards ceremony!" Ash and May took the stage. They were given trophies, and their pokemon were given medals. "What a competition! Great job to all our competitors! Next month we have our monthly pokemon battle competition! So, until then—"

"Let me through!" Kyle burst through two security guards, landing on his hands and knees.

"Kyle?" May and Ash asked at the same time.

"Thieves! They stole from the lab!"

"Son!" the researcher ran to him. "What are you talking about?"

"The pokemon!"

"Not this again…"

"Father, listen to me! There was… a dog with horns and… a bigger version of that thing!" He pointed to Pikachu.

"Kyle, let's go…"

.-.-.

At the lab, Kyle sat on a chair while his father paced back and forth in front of him. His mother was in the corner with Kimmie, and Ash, May, Max, and Brock were there, attempting to help the other scientists find out what was left of the notes.

"For the last time, it was the pokemon!" Kyle nearly shouted.

His father stopped, "Kyle, I get that you hate pokemon, I get that you hate that we've been searching for the pokemon that caused us so much grief—"

"Grief? Grief doesn't even—! I know what I saw! Believe what you will!"

"Kyle! Just give me the notes!"

"I—Wait… you think _I_ stole them?"

The researcher just looked at him.

"I… can't… believe this!" He stood, nearly knocking the chair over.

"Kyle, I want those notes back. I don't care if you stole them, I don't care if the pokemon stole them, I don't care if… if that tree outside stole them! I want them back! I've been working on this for six years!" He stormed into the next room, and his wife followed. The other scientists did so as well.

Kyle sighed. Kimmie went over to him but wasn't able to say anything. May, Ash, Max, and Brock left, letting them have privacy.

"I can't believe him!" Ash growled.

"Ash! He didn't do it!" May defended.

"We don't know that!"

"We don't know that he did!"

"Guys, stop!" Brock came in between them.

"You don't even know him, Ash! He's—" She shook her head fiercely and left.

"May!" Max ran after her.

"What?"

"What's with you these days? You're never around, you and Ash are fighting constantly…"

"I don't know…" May stopped. "It's just…"

"That guy?"

May blushed. "It's not like _that_."

"You feel bad for him."

"None of these people even know him. I got to know him the last couple of days and… he's nice. He's kind, sensitive… He doesn't deserve this."

"It was Tew… he caused a scar… physically and emotionally."

"Yeah, I remember that the researcher said that, but what did he mean by physically?"

.-.-.

"I believe you…" Kimmie sat next to her brother.

"Thanks, Kimmie," Kyle sat as well. "I don't know if I can take this anymore. I have to get out of this city… I don't belong here."

"But—"

"Don't protest. You know as well as I do that it's true." He stood again and began to walk to the door. "Kimmie… I don't want you to come with me… Stay here. You don't deserve this… I want you to…"

"No. I don't like pokemon either, Kyle. I'm terrified of them, and you've been the only one who could protect me!" She was in tears. "Please… don't leave me!"

Kyle turned. She ran up to him and hugged him tight. "Kimmie…"

.-.-.

Ash was right outside the lab with Brock when May and Max came back. "Ash," May began. "Do me a favor…"

"What?" Ash asked, half-heartedly.

"Talk to him."

"What?"

"Get to know him, Ash… Please."

"I…" He looked at her. Just then, the door to the lab opened, and Kyle and Kimmie came out. "Fine… I'll do it."

"Thank you…"

Ash walked up to the two of them. "Kyle…"

"Don't even start, Ash Ketchum!" Kyle glared at him.

"No, it's not that. I'm sorry."

Kyle's glare softened to shock. "What?"

"Look… I say we just accept each other's differences."

Kimmie smiled, "That sounds great!"

The boys looked at her. May, Max, and Brock joined them. "I just have one question: Did you steal the work?"

Kyle's glare came back, "You think I did, too, don't you?"

"N-No!" Ash tried.

"You're right… they're all right… I _don't_ belong here! I never have! I never will!"

"Kyle…" Kimmie started.

"I'm sorry…" He ran away.

"Kyle, wait!" May called, but he didn't hear. "Well we can't just stand here and do nothing! We have to get him back here!"

Kimmie was about to cry again. "It's not fair!" she sniffled. "Why did all of this have to happen to us?"

"We'll find him!" Ash put up a fist. "We have to!"

"Then let's go," Brock stated. They began to walk out of the city.

.-.-.

Kyle had gotten to a narrow river that was in between two cliffs outside the city. He was surprised at how far he had gotten. "Maybe I should find the pokemon who stole from the lab…" he said to himself. "Maybe then they'll believe me… Maybe then they'll respect me…" He came across a small cave at the side of one of the cliffs and went inside. "This looks promising…" The inside of the cave had almost an eerie glow to it. The walls looked blue, and it was chilly inside. He walked through slowly, looking around at his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard something. "What was that? Who's there?" The reply that he got was the stamping of feet and the sight of a large Ursaring. The creature growled. Kyle looked upon the large bear in shock. Ursaring just stood there. "Well, what do you want?" Kyle questioned. To his surprise, the Ursaring transformed into a small blue cat-like creature with an antennae and big red eyes. Kyle recognized it immediately. "You!" He reached for a loose stone on the ground and grasped it in his hand, getting ready to throw it. "Go away, you appalling _thing_!" Tew stayed hovering there. "Don't make me throw this at you!" Still, Tew was unmoving. Kyle threw the stone, and Tew teleported behind him. "Ah! Why, you—"

Just then, a voice was heard, "Well, find him! I know it's in this cave somewhere!"

"It's not like it's gonna show itself to us!" another voice stated.

"Actually, yes, it will. Much like Mew shows itself to the pure of heart, Tew shows itself to those with a dark soul."

"Deep."

"Shut up, idiot! Just find the thing!"

"Yessir!"

Kyle bit his lip. He knew that something bad would happen if whoever those voices were got to Tew. He didn't care about the pokemon itself. He just cared about what it was capable of. That nightmare that was his past he was sure would repeat itself. "Go away!" he whispered to Tew. Tew stayed by his shoulder and tugged at his shirt. "Hands off!" Tew continued to tug. Kyle, hearing footsteps coming his way, reluctantly followed Tew deeper into the cave.

.-.-.

"Look there!" Max pointed ahead to an entrance into the cliff. "It's a cave!"

"You think my brother might be there?" Kimmie asked.

"There's a good possibility," Brock stated.

They entered the cave. After what seemed like hours, they saw lights ahead that were apparently not natural to the cave. "Someone's up there," May determined.

"Well, let's go!" Kimmie quickened her pace. "They could know about my brother!"

As they advanced on the group, they saw that there were four people, all in black and white, with a pokemon each. One had a Gengar and another had a Shiftree, but the last two was what really made the heroes nervous, Raichu and Houndoom.

May whispered, "The dog with horns and the larger version of Pikachu!"

"He was telling the truth," Brock nodded. "This group was clever. First, they came when the major competition was going on. Then, they use their pokemon to do their bidding in case they're caught, because they knew the fans wouldn't think anything bad was going on with the pokemon there."

"Well we have to stop them!" Max concluded.

"T-They're huge…" Kimmie stuttered. "Can you really fight them?"

"Of course!" Ash spoke up.

"Max, stay back here with Kimmie," May said. "We'll take care of this!"

"Hey! You have some stuff that belongs to the researcher in PokeFan City!" Ash, May, and Brock stepped out.

"Who are you?" a tall, dark-haired man turned.

"My name's Ash!"

"What do you mean we have something that belongs to the researcher in the city?"

"Don't play dumb! You were seen!" May declared.

"Ha! Yeah, right!"

"Houndoom and Raichu were seen by a boy who wasn't in the competition dome at the time."

"What harm could come from a pokemon?"

"Nice try, man, but they had orders from you! Now we know the truth."

"Curses…"

Ash's Pikachu stood at the ready, May sent out her Beautifly, and Brock sent out Forretress. The battle started, but with all the attacks, the cave echoed with powerful hits and explosions.

.-.-.

The noise distracted Tew, who, with Kyle, was not too distant from the battle. Tew began to move towards the sounds. Kyle reached out, trying to grab it but failed. "Are you insane? Stupid creature, don't go towards it!" But Tew ignored him. Kyle hesitated, but went along with it.

When they arrived at the scene of the battle, the Houndoom sensed them and howled. The enemies looked at them and smiled. "Well, our work is done…" he whispered chillingly. "Come here, little Tew."

Ash gasped, partly with shock of seeing such a rare pokemon and partly with anxiety about what the creature would do after now being beckoned. May immediately ran up to it. "Don't listen to him, Tew!" she cried.

"Silence, girlie!" the man who controlled the Gengar called. Gengar dove at her, but Kyle pushed her out of the way, getting hit just like those years ago.

"Kyle!" all of them shouted. Kyle struggled to get up, but Gengar was right above him.

Knowing it was the only way to separate from the evil group, Brock called, "Forretress! Use explosion!"

The explosion was powerful and echoed throughout the cave as every person was blown back with powerful force. Parts of the cave collapsed. When the dust and smoke cleared, Ash ended up with Kyle, May with Kimmie, and Max with Brock. As for the enemies, they remained together, unfortunately with Tew.

.-.-.

Ash and Kyle sat there, covered with dirt and bruises. Ash was dusting off Pikachu, and Kyle was groaning, holding his wound from Gengar. "You alright?" Ash asked.

Kyle just glared at him.

"Don't be like that. Aren't you tired of fighting?"

"Funny, coming from you… the one who started it!"

"Oh, yeah?"

Kyle's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Kimmie!"

"Huh?"

"What happened to her? Everyone else… are they trapped?"

Ash looked around. "Oh no…" He frowned. "Nice going, Brock… It might have been the only way to get us out of trouble… but it just caused more trouble…"

"Kimmie!" Kyle tried desperately to shout for his sister but was interrupted by a sharp pain at his stomach, where he was hit by Gengar earlier. He gasped with pain and breathed heavily. "K- Kimmie…" he could barely speak.

Ash bit his lip and crawled over to him. "She'll be fine… don't worry."

.-.-.

May coughed, and Kimmie panted. "You alright?" they both said at the same time. "Yeah," they both replied.

"As good as I can be…" May sighed.

"I'm scared… what happened?" Kimmie whispered.

"Don't worry, I'm here. We'll see what's going on…" She glanced around. "Trapped… like Rattatas…"

"I'm scared…" Kimmie repeated.

May gasped. "Max!"

.-.-.

"Genius move, Brock," Max said sarcastically.

"It got us away from the bad-guys, didn't it?" Brock replied impatiently.

"Sure, but now what?"

"I didn't think that far ahead."

"Again, genius."

"You know what—"

_Crash!_

"What was that?" both questioned at once.

.-.-.

"That didn't sound good…" Ash observed.

"What was it?" Kyle wondered.

"Don't know… Hey! An opening!" Ash had spotted a small opening between stones in their dark trap. "Let's go!" The two of them with Pikachu crawled out and saw the blue creature and the evil team. But something was wrong.

"Not again!"

"What?"

The blue creature's eyes were closed, but what used to be a small crest on its forehead was now a large scarlet eye. It was déjà vu for Kyle. Finally, he understood. That black-and-white team wanted to get Tew to be uncontrollable again. All that needed to be done was to open that single eye.

Tew thrashed about against the cave walls and fired its crimson energy waves. Kyle pulled off his knit hat, clearly showing the scar on his own forehead. Ash stared in shock at it. Kyle approached the pokemon hesitantly. "Stop!" he yelled.

The creature turned to him. Kyle held his breath. He recognized the glare that he was now getting. That creature was about to attack. He watched, unmoving, as the pokemon charged up red power at the end of its antennae. Kyle tried to move but realized he couldn't. The glare of the eye had psychically held him in place, unable to dodge this blow he would soon take.

Ash's voice broke the silence, "Pikachu, Thunder!" Pikachu obeyed quickly and a bolt hit Tew critically. Its focus was interrupted, and Kyle was once again able to move. He turned towards Ash and Pikachu, wondering why they would help him. Tew glared at Pikachu now. "Watch out for its gaze!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, closing his eyes. He jumped, using Thunderbolt. Tew was hit again, breaking his focus. Its eye squinted.

Ash immediately knew what had to be done. All he had to do was close that eye. He knew a last Iron Tail would do it.

"No you don't, kid!" one of the enemies ran at him, but Kyle blocked. "Let me through, boy!" Kyle held him off. Shiftree tried to attack, but Kyle covered with his arms.

Pikachu quickly used his attack, finally closing Tew's eye. Its other eyes opened, blinking innocently.

"No!" the man pushed Kyle to the side.

Tew and Pikachu turned to that team, ready to attack. The team, now hopeless, ran off in fear before anything could be done. Pikachu and Tew smiled at each other. Kyle got up on his knees. He looked at them curiously. This was the true nature of pokemon.

"Now to find your sister," Ash concluded.

"Have no fear!" May pushed through some rocks on one side.

"Kyle!" Kimmie ran to her brother and hugged him tightly.

"So, looks like everything's fine," May smiled.

"Yeah!" Max came through another side. "And I got to witness the chaotic power of Tew!"

"You guys were watching that?" Ash asked.

"Yep," Brock nodded. May, Max, and Kimmie nodded as well.

"The truth has come…" Kyle lowered his head. "It was true that no pokemon is truly evil…"

"It could have happened to anyone…" May tried.

"At least now you can learn to appreciate the real side of pokemon!" Ash determined. "The friendship you can have with them!"

Pikachu hopped on his shoulder, "Pika!"

.-.-.

"I'm sorry, son," the researcher looked down at the kids. "I should have believed you."

"I'm glad that you've come to know how pokemon truly are!" Kyle's mother smiled.

"Thank you for helping my children, Ash."

"It was nothing," Ash scratched the back of his neck.

The researcher and his wife left them alone on the sidewalk next to the PHSZ.

"Thank you, Ash…" Kyle mumbled. "And thank you, May, for understanding."

May smiled and nudged Ash. "No prob!" they both said.

"So, are you thinking of going on a pokemon adventure?" Ash asked Kimmie.

"I don't know," she hesitated. "I guess… but as long as I can still appreciate the world around me besides just pokemon. You know, you should keep that in mind too."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to."

"As for me…" Kyle started. "I might help my mother at the center. I actually enjoyed seeing the friendship you and Pikachu shared."

Ash smiled. "Pikachu is my best friend! I hope you find a pokemon as your friend."

"I think I already have. Tew was being quite a friend to me… in its calm state that is."

The others smiled. "Good luck."

"Same to you."

_._

_Waving good-bye to their new friends, our heroes continue down the road to their next adventures…_

_Meanwhile, a blue silhouette of a cat-like pokemon and a matching pink silhouette next to it watch over PokeFan City…_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Well, that's the story… you see, I wanted to stray from the cliché pokemon-lovers, so I thought, what would it be like if someone hated pokemon? How would Ash respond? … Of course, everything was back to normal in the end.**

**Please tell me what you think!**


End file.
